The Northern Irish government has launched two new road safety campaigns, which address two of the main causes of road deaths and serious injuries – speeding and, more generally, driver behaviour.
The first campaign, ‘Priority List’ challenges the everyday choices drivers make that lead to collisions – inattention, driving too close, and momentary distractions.
The campaign highlights how a split‑second decision to take a risk can end in tragedy, a scenario many.
The second campaign ‘Control or Speed’, addresses excessive speed, which remains a major factor in deaths and serious injuries, particularly on rural roads.
Despite the risks, many drivers believe they are in control when speeding. However, evidence shows that speed reduces reaction time, increases stopping distances, and leads to more severe outcomes.
The message of this campaign is simple: “you can have control, or you can have speed – but you cannot have both”.
The campaigns will run across TV, radio, digital platforms, and outdoor media, with a focus on raising awareness among all drivers with a particular focus on younger drivers.
Liz Kimmins, Northern Ireland’s minister for infrastructure, said: “Too many people are dying on our roads, something that has been brought into sharp focus within recent weeks. We are only just into the third month of 2026 and, tragically, 15 people have lost their lives.
”We must all do everything we can to ensure no more families are plunged into the unimaginable and life changing grief that road deaths bring to their door.
“As minister, I want to do all I can to ensure everyone who uses our roads, does so safely. To help drive real behavioural change on our roads we need a societal conversation about how we all behave when we are travelling.”
Two things caught my eye. One, ‘more generally driver behaviour’ and secondly, ‘close following’.
Behaviour is driven by mind-set aka:
https://youtu.be/qkiheeBBRRk
but why has the RS industry not cottoned on to this? It is forever, and in one form or another, promoting ‘driver behaviour courses’. No one is properly talking about ‘mindset’ being the root of the issue.
Secondly, the majority of drivers do not understand what a safe following distance is, also some 30% of crashes are related to close following, aka:
https://youtu.be/2lAx_dp9CjY
Nigel ALBRIGHT, Taunton
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“you can have control, or you can have speed – but you cannot have both”. I like it ..it hits the nail on the head.
I’ve always likened your typical speeder to a parachutist who’s learnt how and when to jump out of the ‘plane, but not how, or when to deploy the shute!
Hugh Jones, South Wirral
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